Cotton gin combining pneumatic and mechanical moting



Jan. 24, 1956 J. J. WALLACE COTTON GIN COMBINING PNEUMATIC ANDMECHANICAL MOTING Filed Feb. 24, 1954 7 2 W ATTORNEYS C(BTTGN GEN*lfiMl'BlNENG PNEUMATIC AND h/lE Cl lANlfiAL MQTENG .lelfre Si. WallaceLa. assi nor Gull Girl 3 Claims. (Ci. l-58) This invention relates toimprovements in cotton gins of the type which embodies the inventiveconcept covered in my application for Patent Serial Number 322,902,filed November 28, i952.

The gin described in said patent application is characterized by theprovision of a moting chamber between the ginning ribs and the lint fluenozzle, in which a considerable arcuate extent of the saw cylinder isexposed to a looping blast of clean air from atmosphere which scours thelint fringe standing out from the saw cylinder under centrifugal force,said blast blowing across the int fringe toward the saw cylinder in theupper part of the exposed are adjacent the ginning ribs, then downwardthrough the lint fringe in the general direction of rotation of the sawcylinder but at less velocity so that the lint locks are not detachedfrom the saw teeth, and finally across the lint in a direction away fromthe saw cylinder at the lower part of the expose-d are, just above theregion where the lint is dofi'ed. The motint air blast exits through amoting duct subject to suction at a point remote from its mouth, whichsuction induces the how of the air blast through an atmospheric airinlet duct into and through the moting chamber. Said blast is ofrelatively great volume, so as continuously to clear the moting chambernot only of the mote material swept out of the lint fringe by the tripleaction of the blast, but also to rid the moting chamber of the larger ormore loosely adherent motes thrown off at first instance by centrifugalforce as the lint on the saws emerges from between the ginning ribs. Thelooping nature the mating air blast is determined by the relativedirections of air nozzle at the mouth of the atmospheric air duct amoting nozzle at the mouth of the mote duct.

The principal object of the present invention is to add to theefliciency of the above described gin by providing a mote board, whichis virtually the lower lip of the moting nozz.e, having its edge inproximity to the saw cylinder to be contacted by the centrifugallyextended lint fringe from which the material is beaten and which isdischarged directly into the mote duct.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the followingspecification, and throughout the figures of which the same charactersof reference have been used to denote identical parts:

Figure l is a side view partly in elevation and partly in section,showing a portion of a cotton gin of the type de scribed, embodying thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in cross-section, taken along the line of1.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 representsthe gin as a whole, having the con- Z,?3l,6?5 Patented Jan. 24, R956ventional saw cylinder 2 provided with spaced saws 3, which rotatethrough the lower part of the roll box 4, between the ginning ribs 5,through the lower part of a mating chamber 6 and then through a doffingzone 7 where the lint is removed from the saw teeth and delivered to alint duct 8 by an air blast from a doffing nozzle 9, as shown, or by abrush type doffer which is common in the art but not herein shown.

The lint which emerges from between the ginning ribs attached to theteeth of the saws stands out in a fringe under the urge of centrifugalforce beyond the periphery of the saw cylinder. As the lint passesbetween the ginning ribs, the larger motes and those which are carriedloosely in the lint, are thrown off centrifugally into the mote chamber.In the gin which forms the subject matter of the invention disclosed inmy hereinbefore referred to patent application, means is provided forcreating a blast of air which not only purges the mote chamber of themotes centrifugally thrown ofi from the lint, but which also subjectsthe fringe of lint outstanding from the saw cylinder to the tripleaction of a moting blast of atmospheric air which blows through the lintfringe toward the saw cylinder in the region of the upper arc of theportion of the saw cylinder exposed to the mote chamber, and which thenblows downward through the lint fringe in the direction of travel of thesaw cylinder, and finally blows outwardly through the lint fringe in theregion of the lower portion of the exposed arc of the saw cylinder. Thislooping blast is produced by the provision of a casing 3;, the specificshape and construction of which may vary somewhat to suit the particulargin with which it is associated. As here shown, it has an openrectangular front end, one of the forward side edges of which isdesignated by the reference numeral 10. Said open end extends the fullwidth of the saw cylinder. The casing Fill is divided transversely by apartition 11, into an upper atmospheric air inlet duct 12 and a lowermote discharge duct 13. By preference, the inlet end 14 of the air inleduct extends the full width of the casing, so as to provide for a largevolume of intake air at low velocity. The large volume of air assuresthe complete purging of the mote chamber while the velocity of the blastmust be less than the peripheral speed of the saw cylinder to avoiddetachment of the lint from the saw teeth. The width of the motedischarge duct narrows as it proceeds rearwardly, forming a transitionwhich joins a circular flanged outlet 15 which joins a mote dischargepipe, not shown, connected to the suction end of a blower (not shown).It is the suction of the blower that induces the looping blast of airthat scours the lint fringe and purges the mote chamber. Both the airinlet duct 12 and mote discharge duct 13 are provided at their forwardends with respective nozzles l6 and 17', extending the full width of thesaw cylinder, and which cooperate to determine the direction change ofthe air blast which enables it to perform its triple scouring functionwith respect to the lint fringe. The nozzle lid is formed between theedge of a downwardly extending flange ill at the front of the air inletduct and an apturned flange 19, upstanding from the base or floor of theair inlet duct. The flange 19 is the forward portion of a hinged sectionZll of the partition ll. Said section includes side walls 23.. Thesection 2% is hinged about an axis 22 parallel to the axis of the sawcylinder, the section 2d being adjustable for varying the width of thenozzle 16 by means of a hole 23 throngs each of its side walls whichregisters selectively with a series of holes 24 in the sides of saidcasing, the adjustment being fixed by means of a pin 25 thrust throughtwo registering holes, one pin being employed on each side. Theadjustment of the section to not only varies the width of the nozzle 16,but also the direction of the blast emanating therefrom. Ordinarily, theblast should strike the exposed arc of the saw cylinder closely adjacentthe ginning ribs. While the looping blast from the air inlet nozzlesweeps transversely through the lint fringe in the upper region of theexposed arc of the saw cylinder, care must be taken that the directionof the blast be so adjusted that it does not forcefully pass for anysubstantial distance between the saws, otherwise it will penetrate deepin the spaces between the saws and find its way to the periphery of thesaw cylinder in the region of the lint flue. The adjustment should besuch that the blast substantially reverses its direction in the path ofthe periphery of the saw cylinder so that all of it blows out from thesaw cylinder into the mote discharge duct 13.

The adjustment of the hinged section 20 of the partition 11 necessarilynot only adjusts the width of the nozzle 16, but also that of the nozzle17 constituting the mouth of the mote discharge duct. The nozzle 17 notonly receives the mote laden air purged from the moting chamher, butalso the motes which are directly delivered to it from the lint fringeby the scouring action of the looping blast, as above described.

Since the larger motes thrown off centrifugally by the lint uponemergence from between the ginning ribs have quite a forcefultrajectory, much of them may be projected through the nozzle 16 into theair inlet duct notwithstanding they are moving countercurrent to theatmospheric air blast. Consequently, in time there is an accumulation ofmote material on the upper side of the partition 11, including theextension 20. In order to enable the atmospheric air duct to be cleanedfrom time to time, it is provided with a cover 26 hinged at 27 to a sideframe of the gin structure, which may be lifted to give access to theinside of the air inlet duct. The hinged cover 26 terminates forwardlyat the point 28.

The improvement which characterizes the present invention comprisesmeans for the further working of the int fringe outstanding from the sawcylinder to remove still more mote material therefrom. This meanscomprises a mote board which virtually constitutes the lower lip of thenozzle .17 of the lint discharge duct. The forward end 30 of said moteboard extends close to the periphery of the saw cylinder just above thedoffing zone in a position to be contacted by the outstanding lint inthe rotation of the saw cylinder, and to jar from said lint fringe motematerial which falls directly upon the mote board and is drawn oif bysuction into the moting duct. Said moting board seats in a wide rabbet31, formed in the lower side of the mote discharge duct at the front,

and is adjustable forward and backward in said rabbet to an optimumposition with respect to the saw cylinder. T he mote board is providedwith a tailpiece 32, which is long enough to overlie that part of therabbet which may be left unoccupied in various positions of adjustmentof the mote board. The function of the tailpiece is to pro vide a smoothfloor or lower surface for the mote discharge duct, so as to avoid anyimpediment to the continuous rearward progression of the mote materialunder the influence of the discharging air flow.

Adjustment of the mote board is effected by the followinginstrumentalities. The ends of the mote board extend through slots inthe side walls of the casing 10, and are provided at their extended endswith blocks 33 fixed thereto, and which slide in contact with the outersurfaces of said side walls. Above said blocks, and fixed to the sidewalls, are the abutments 34 which also add thickness to said side wallsso as to provide firm anchorage for the pivot pins 35. Links 36, one oneach side, are pivotally mounted at points intermediate their length toswing on said pivot pins at their lower ends. Said links are slotted,the slots embracing pins 37 which extend from the outer sides of theblocks 33. The pin and slot connections provide for arcuate movement ofthe links 36 and rectilinear movement of the blocks 33 and the moteboard 29.

At their upper ends, each of the links 36 is pivotally connected to asectional operating rod 37'. The inner section 38 of said rod is tubularand freely threaded to the outer section. The outer section 39 isrevoluble in bearings in the spaced lugs 49 fixed to the sides of thecasing 10. Between said lugs a collar 41 is fixed to the revolublesection 39 and prevents endwise movement of said section. Consequently,it is only the inner section 38 which reciprocates when the outersection 39 is rotated. A hand wheel 42 is fixed to the outer end of eachsection 39. In operation, both sides of the mote board will be adjustedalike so as to maintain its forward edge parallel to the saw cylinder. Aset screw 43 passes through an upward extension 44 of each of the blocks33 and contacts the abutment 34 when the mote board is in its foremostposition. The particular value of this set screw is to prevent the moteboard being set so far forward as to come into contact with the sawcylinder.

The engagement of the mote board with the lint fringe on the sawcylinder forms a substantially impervious seal for any portion of themoting blast, which might otherwise pass down with its mote contentsinto the doffing zone.

The bearings 45 in the lugs 40 are open at the top, as indicated at 46in Figures 3 and 4, so that the push rod 37 may be lifted from saidbearings and rotated so as to detach its outer section from its innersection when desired, to facilitate access to the mote board forcleaning the same, or other purposes.

It will be obvious from the above description that the subject cottongin is capable of quite a thorough job of demoting, since it not onlyremoves mote material initially thrown off centrifugally into the motechamber, but in addition to performing the triple scouring action uponthe lint, which is stressed in my hereinbefore mentioned .copendingpatent application, it also jars or beats residual mote material fromthe lint fringe by forcible contact of the latter with the edge of themote board, and carries all of this mote material away directly into themote discharge duct without further contaminating the lint with motematerial once removed.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be apractical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the specific details of construction andarrangement of parts, as shown and described, are by way of example andnot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Cotton gin comprising in combination, a saw cylinder, ginning ribsand dofiing means, conventionally correlated, said gin providing amoting chamber in which said saw cylinder is exposed throughout an areaextending substantially from said ginning ribs to said doifing means acasing confronting said moting chamber opposite said saw cylinder,having opposite side walls and a transverse partition dividing it intoan inlet duct communicating with the upper part of said moting chamberand a mote discharge duct having its mouth at the lower part of saidmoting chamber and communicating therewith, said mote discharge ductbeing connectable to an evacuating means for circulating an air blastthrough said moting chamber, a mote board forming the lower lip of themouth of said discharge duct, extending the full width of said casing,said mote board being adjustable toward said saw cylinder, means mountedon the side walls of said casing, connected to said mote board foradjusting it in a forward and backward direction and cooperating stopmeans on the side walls of said casing and on said mote board forlimiting the approach of said mote board toward said saw cylinder.

2. Cotton gin comprising a saw cylinder and cooperating ginning ribs anddofiing means, means forming a moting chamber in which said saw cylinderis exposed throughout an area extending substantially from said'ginningribs to said dotfing means, a casing confronting said noting chamberopposite said saw cylinder having opposite side walls and a transversepartition dividing it into an upper air inlet duct and a lower motedischarge duct, said air inlet duct having a nozzle opening into theupper part of said moting chamber and positioned to direct air towardthe upper part of said exposed area, said mote discharge duct having amouth opening into the lower part of said moting chamber, said nozzleand mouth extending the full width of the saw cylinder, said motedischarge duct being adapted for connection to a source of suction, amote board forming the lower lip of the mouth of said mote dischargeduct having its leading edge in operative proximity to said saw cylinderto be engaged by the outstanding lint fringe on said saw cylinder, saidpartition having a hinged forward portion forming the lower lip of saidair inlet nozzle, adjustable to vary the width of said nozzle and thedirection of the air blast issuing therefrom.

3. Cotton gin combining pneumatic and mechanical moting comprising a sawcylinder and cooperating ginning ribs and dofiing means, means forming amoting chamber in which said saw cylinder is exposed throughout an areaextending substantially from said ginning ribs to said dotting means, amote discharge duct with which said moting chamber communicates havingits mouth at the lower end of said moting chamber and adapted forconnection to a source of suction whereby an air blast is circulatedthrough said moting chamber and out through said mote discharge duct, amote board forming the lower lip of said mouth having its forward edgein the path of travel of the lint fringe outstanding centrifugally fromsaid saw cylinder, to be contacted by said lint fringe whereby motesthrown off by inertia land directly in the mouth of said discharge duct,the lower wall of said mote discharge duct being formed with atransverse rabbet at its mouth, said mote board being seated in saidrabbet, adjustably slidable therein in a direction toward said sawcylinder, and a tail plate extending rearwardly from said mote board,secured thereto, said tail plate being in the plane of the upper face ofsaid mote board and slidably overlapping the lower wall of said duct atthe rear of said rabbet for occluding the part of said rabbet unoccupiedby said mote board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS897,883 Dickson Sept. 8, 1908 1,008,242 Cooke Nov. 7, 1911 1,010,731Dickson Dec. 5, 1911 1,010,732 Dickson Dec. 5, 1911 2,204,803 GrifiinJune 18, 1940

